


Let You Go

by syriala



Category: Captain America (Movies), Iron Man (Movies), The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Break Up, Established Relationship, M/M, No happy end, Polyamory
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-17
Updated: 2017-10-17
Packaged: 2019-01-18 15:33:07
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 793
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12390993
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/syriala/pseuds/syriala
Summary: Written for this prompt on Tumblr: "Me and you? We're simply not cut out for this lovers thing."





	Let You Go

They had tried. When Bucky had come back and it was clear that he and Steve were still in love, they had tried the polyamory thing, mostly because Tony didn’t want to let go of Steve.

But it was clear that it wasn’t working out. Steve and Bucky were closer than Steve and Tony ever had been and while Tony was rapidly falling in love with Bucky it was clear that Bucky didn’t see him as anything else but as competition.

And it was time to put an end to all of their suffering.

Tony cornered Bucky when Steve was out for his run with Sam and it already spoke volumes that Bucky angled himself away from Tony before he even opened his mouth.

“Okay, let’s be honest here,” Tony started and forced his voice to be steady. “You and me? We’re simply not cut out for this lover’s thing.”

Bucky’s eyes went wide, but he continued to put more space between them.

“What do you want me to do?” Bucky carefully asked and Tony’s heart broke when he saw how scared Bucky looked. Scared, that Tony would take Steve away from him and this only cemented Tony’s decision. The three of them were no good together at all.

“Nothing. I just wanted to let you know that I…, well, I guess I am breaking up with you.”

“And Steve?” Bucky asked, voice small and Tony could hear it trembling.

“I’m gonna break up with him, too, of course,” Tony said with a frown. “You belong together and I should have ducked out when you first came back, but I…” he trailed off, unable to say it.

But he didn’t have to because Bucky understood him perfectly as it seemed.

“But you loved him so much that you had to try. You loved him too much to just let him go.” Tony nodded but didn’t say anything else.

“Do you not love him anymore?” Bucky asked him.

“I do. Of course I do, but he loves you more, and I’m just not worth it. And we’re not working out too well, are we? You can hardly look at me as it is. I never meant to put such a strain on your relationship.”

“I’ve been trying,” Bucky mumbled and Tony chuckled, because otherwise he would start to cry.

“I know, and I’m not saying you haven’t. But this is still not working out, for neither of us. So I’m just gonna give you space and you can, you know, be together like you have before without me bothering you.”

“Tony?” Steve suddenly asked from the doorway, still panting and sweaty from his run. “What is this?”

Tony had thought he would have more time to prepare to break up with Steve too, but apparently the universe hated him today.

“I’m breaking up with you,” he said evenly, trying to blink back the tears.

“Why?” Steve asked and he sounded desperate.

“It’s not working, Steve. We said we would try, and we did, but Bucky and I, we are not working. And it’s straining your relationship too, and I love you too much to see you unhappy.”

“Tony, I love you. Don’t do this. You and Bucky are fine,” Steve pleaded and Tony laughed at that.

“We are not fine, and you know it. He can’t even touch me. And don’t even pretend that you love me like you love him. I know that you love him, maybe not more than you love me, but he is more important to you. I won’t stand between you anymore. It’s been a selfish decision from the start.”

Bucky had kept quiet this whole time but now he started to reach out for Steve.

“Steve,” he pleaded and Steve instinctively reached out for Bucky.

It was like a stab to Tony’s heart, to see those two together, but it only showed him that he was right.

“Tony, he loves you,” Steve said when Bucky didn’t say anything else and Tony had never thought that Steve could be cruel, but apparently he had been wrong.

“Don’t,” he managed to say but Steve shook his head.

“He does, Tony, he does. He just doesn’t always know how to express it.”

“It doesn’t matter,” Tony said around a sob. “It’s never gonna be enough. Not compared to what you have. And I just… Steve, this isn’t working. Just let it go.”

“No!” Steve said decidedly and Bucky reached out for Tony this time, but Tony took a step back.

“I’m sorry. I’ll go now,” Tony managed before his voice cracked and he turned around.

He swallowed around a sob as he left, but when no one called out for him again, he knew that he had made the right decision.

**Author's Note:**

> Now with a happy end in [Take Me Back](http://archiveofourown.org/works/12391092)
> 
> You can always find me on my [tumblr](http://bloody-bee-tea.tumblr.com/)

**Works inspired by this one:**

  * [Take Me Back](https://archiveofourown.org/works/12391092) by [syriala](https://archiveofourown.org/users/syriala/pseuds/syriala)




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